By REYNALD MAGALLON
Barangay Ginebra looks to end the year with a bang and a 2-0 lead against Bay Area in Game 2 of their best-of-seven 2022 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
The Gin Kings delivered the first blow in Game 1, dominating the Dragons en route to a 96-81 victory in Game 1 and are now hoping to replicate their Game 1 in the 5:45 encounter that is again expected to attract a mammoth crowd.
Despite the strong Game 1 performance especially on the defensive end, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone refused to get too carried away with the victory as he still sees some room for improvements for the team.
The Kings also wants to make sure that the momentum is on their side before the Finals series takes a week-long holiday break before resuming on Jan. 4 for Game 3.
In fact, the multi-titled coach even felt that they just got lucky escaping the Dragons’ teeth in the first game with Hayden Blankley, despite getting his shots, struggling on the floor and with Zhu Songwei being saddled by foul trouble.
“It seemed like we got a little lucky. Blankley was 0-for-7 in the first half and might have been 0-for-11 after the game, something like that. He makes 30 percent of those, it is a different basketball game and he was getting good looks he was just not knocking them down,” rued Cone.
“Those are the things we are gonna have to look at why he is getting open, why is he getting those looks. He shouldn’t be shooting those threes but he’s getting them. Fortunately for us, he didn’t make them,” he added.
Bay Area head coach Brian Goorjian, on the other hand, looks to have his wards adjusted to the officiating especially that he felt that the Kings ‘got away with murder’ in defending Andrew Nicholson while Zhu was called for three fouls barely three minutes into the game.
“It was a huge factor in the game and I might say they were good calls. He fouled and it was undisciplined on his part. He didn’t make adjustments. He had hand fouls, he grabbed and he held,” Goorjian commented.
“But I say this again, they guarded Nicholson like that. There was no penalty. It’s hard to score when you are bumped and held and those are fouls. I thought they got away with murder on the other end in guarding him,” added the Australian champion coach.
Aside from the physicality, Goorjian also wants to improve their shooting if they wish to unclog the paint for Nicholson to operate – something he will be relying upon on guys like Blankley, Kobey Lam and Glen Yang.
Another issue Goorjian wanted to address was the rebounding department where he looks to devise a plan to keep Standhardinger, Scottie Thompson, and Justin Brownlee off the boards after getting outrebounded, 58-35.
LA Tenorio who has been saving his best in the entire eliminations for the playoffs are expected to lead the way for the Kings anew.
